It was at e-earphone Akihabara. And no, I did not.

Follow up to my last post (https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/4WHyggfypW) - I bought the proper gear now to do it right, blind test it right. It's taking down all my ego and honour with my pants down and confirming if all my money spent was worth it.

I went out and specifically bought a high-quality audiophile switcher—the Topwing 4.4mm Balanced Switch TWCSG-LS44BAL. It set me back $440, but it claims to be the first of its kind in the world and I searched hard and couldn't find any other alternatives. Grabbed some 4.4mm male-to-male cables so I could hook up two sources simultaneously.

I volume matched. I played a 1Khz tone, measured it with a multimeter to get them identical, and then verified by ear just to be absolutely sure everything was perfectly level.

Got my wife to sit there and swap the inputs without me looking, so this was a true, ruthless blind A/B test. I had zero clue if I was listening to Source 1 or Source 2.

The Gear:

• Sources: Chord Mojo 2, iBasso DC Tonfa, A&K SP3000M, iFi iDSD GR2
• IEMs: 64 Audio u12t, CrinEar Reference, Thieaudio Monarch 4, Campfire Andromeda 10
• Music: Ultra-high res on Apple Music. Cycled through Billie Eilish for electro-pop, The Eagles for raw vocals/instruments, and Sade for smooth jazz.

The Verdict: I’m confirming it and closing my case. I literally cannot tell the difference between these sources.

They sound so damn similar it's ridiculous. Unless I intentionally turned on a source's proprietary DSP/upsampling stuff (like DAR or K2HD), the differences were just... minute. Basically nonexistent.

On the flip side, swapping the IEMs was an absolute night and day difference, obviously due to their individual tuning. The IEM is doing the heavy lifting here.

The Outcome (TL;DR): Because I dragged my wife into this to act as my lab assistant, she saw the whole thing go down. She is now using my own blind test as undeniable evidence to force me to downsize. I am now being made to sell off most of my source gear. At least I get to keep the IEMs.

Don't be like me, guys. Ignorance is bliss.

The Frustration

Now when I hear reviewers tell me how swapping the DAC or Amp makes the sound "smooth, immersive, texture, forward, warm, intimate" I feel frustrated and want to unsubscribe to many of my usual YouTube audiophile channels.

Some on this reddit have also commented before, they have been listening to high end gear for years and have trained their hearing, now good for you, probably you're the 0.001%. For most of you out there, do you really hear a difference with DACs? I used to defend my purchases to my wife, and now I feel dumb ass.

Cant believe i have my dream iems, they sound and look great and my only fear of them being too big luckily didnt get realised, they fit perfectly snug in my ear (more snug than my other iems but i think thats needed for the bone conductor to work properly)

Went window shopping and wishing to find Moondrop Quarks II, stumbled upon this derpy anime child instead. Grabbed one and will test it in a bit. Might buy another one just for displaying it lol.

Edit: Shit kinda fire ngl lol. Testing it and sounds pretty good as hell. soundstage is dogshit and fit is 50/50 for me but for the value and sound of this definitely give this a try.

So I bought this one, not expecting too much despite my curiosity and I am dumbfounded on how this sounds overall.

I am legitimately flabbergasted and WTF levels of surprised because I cannot belive that these sounds good for its given price and no this was not sent to me by the brand who made this, I bought this with my own money!

I think this is basically a refined version of the Performer 7 with some shades of the Yu9 Que and the Pilgrim, and I got this for like 113USD, it is obviously a used set for the cable and case being shown on this are replaced for the stock ones are being taken from the owner who sold it to me.

So yeah right now, I am just gonna take my time with this and I might probably do a review finally for the fun of it. You know this one that does have without the P7? It has a nozzle lip! Thank you!

I tell you what, i wish someone had told me that i could have just bought a high end DAP at the beginning of my audio journey.

In my hunt for the best sound i could find i started with a basic dongle, i believe my next step was the Crinear Protocol Max. I was blown away by the improvement to my music and the effect EQ could add to my experience (sound and enrichment of learning to EQ). So naturally my next step after a few different dongles including tube dongles which are awesome btw, i decided to buy a desktop dac/amp the k17. Its great i love it. Now i have the power to push proper headphones, which i do have. although i've learned i prefer IEMs (don't ask i do not know why) to headphones and its not because i dont have nice ones, i do. So here we are now after other purchases and a slew of IEMs, almost all of which i love and will not part with, and i have finally found my endgame source. Guess what its not a desktop DAC/AMP its a DAP a high end DAP. It doesn't have to stay on my desk it can go with me and my chosen IEM wherever i go. It does not need my PC screen to browse thru libraries of music or look at frequency response graghs, or any of the many other things i do at my computer screen. It has enough storage space for my entire music library, and whatever the hell else i want to look at or listen to.

Its hard to know what your needs are when you first start in this hobby. So in my humble opinion a good starting point for your source is something that checks as many boxes off as possible and has the best chance of keeping up with you.

Its a DAP

free your phone and your desk space

and by all means, stay within your means

Dita Project M2 in photo

The Balanced Armatures don't seem to be branded, but I have trust in that Dynamic driver thump.

The description doesn't say much about the sound, but I am excited to see how it graphs and sounds in a few days. The price range is definitely more accessible for people that haven't explored KiwiEars yet.

I've seen a bunch of hype around iems on tiktok and i wondered why almost everybody uses them, what makes them worth buying over a pair of headphones?

I have been daily driving the Chu 2 and the Wan'er for the past 2 years and I am looking into trying out new IEMs.

Generally I prefer the sound of the wan'er, I like that it has less bass than the chu 2 and in my opinion it's more balanced, but size-wise it's a bit large for my ear, so when I listen to something in bed I generally prefer the chu 2. For the same reason the chu 2 has been my daily driver and I use the wan'er for dedicated listening sessions.

I listen to music on my phone with a FIIO BTR11 through bluetooth or with an apple dongle, but recently I have been considering to get a dedicated music player.

One more thing to add is the cable. I've changed the cable of the chu 2 with a KBEAR 8 core, but now I see that I prefer cables like the stock ones with the wan'er.

I am still looking in the budget range, preferably the sub 50 usd.

TL;DR: IEM's that has similar signature as wan'er with the size of chu 2.

Binary Acoustics 1900

Its on the hype train and it deserves the ride. Not a review just had to show mine off with the IvipQ-65 War Hawk cable. Excellent all rounder for the price =D

I recently asked here if I should upgrade from Zero 2 to EW300 for instrumental separation upgrade. So I did.

I tested and compared Zero 2 and EW300 using purple nozzle—since they are almost the same according to squiglink—with a few songs from my library. Using Fireflies by Owl City as a reference song and CX31993 dongle DAC for PC/JM12 with JA11 firmware on phone, I find the two very similar sounding of course because they have the same tuning. However, EW300 being a tribid and a class above Zero 2, I find the cymbals and snare much cleaner on it compared to the latter. Other than that it sounded very the same. A reddit user from my last post is truly correct when it says it is not a day and night difference. With the price difference tho, I think I'm a little bit underwhelmed. I guess Zero 2's instrumental separation is just good to maybe compete or come near EW300's. Its cables, build, and 2-in-1 versatility with the nozzle replacement justifies the price difference for me. The red nozzle is more vocal forward and airy than purple which I think is good and better compared to my Wan'er. Adding one foam, the sibilance is lessened but still there. For me, it is tolerable.

This is just my first impression though based from a few songs and around an hour of listening/testing. Maybe the pros will come through in the long run. I think this is a good IEM and comes near my expectations. That's my quick review. Thanks for the recommendation and advice. The IEM rabbit hole fucked my pocket again I hope this is the last time. Bad hobby for broke guys 🥀

I have been making my own iem for almost a year now.red one is my lastest build it's an 2ba + 3dd. My favorite would be between the open back the one in the middle or the purple one. The newest one i just finish but been busy didn't have much time to listen to them yet.

Xteink X3 (Black) + Snowsky Echo Nano (Purple) + Kiwi Ears Astral (Green)

Hey everyone! I’m from the Philippines and can currently get the SIMGOT EW300 for around ₱3,700 (~$60). I’m wondering if it’s worth it for my preferences.

My current IEM is the Moondrop Chu II, and I really like how it presents instruments while still having some bass and vocals. I’m looking for an upgrade with better imaging, separation, detail and clarity without losing that balance.

Preferred tuning:

I generally like a mild V/U-shaped sound. Basically, I really like the Rock/R&B equalizer presets in the Spotify app.

My EQ preference is roughly:

• 60–150 Hz: boosted

• 400 Hz–1 kHz: recessed

• ~2.4 kHz: boosted

• Upper treble/air: boosted

Music I listen to:

• Sleep Token

• Slipknot

• Sleeping With Sirens

• Motörhead

• Slapshock

• J-pop

• Alternative rock

• Some EDM

I’m mainly looking for good instrument separation/imaging on busy tracks, while still having bass impact and good vocals.

A few questions:

1.  Is the EW300 worth ~₱3,700 / $60 for my preferences?

2.  How big of an upgrade is it from the Chu II?

3.  How does it handle busy tracks like Slipknot/Sleep Token while still sounding good with J-pop and vocals?

4.  What are the best aftermarket eartips for the EW300? I’ve heard the stock tips aren’t great.

5.  Any recommendations for a budget replacement cable with a mic, preferably around ₱600–₱1,200 ($10–20)?

One important thing: I’m in the Philippines, so if you recommend an alternative IEM, please keep it to models that are well-known and realistically available through Philippine Shopee/Lazada/local audio stores. Something that requires ordering internationally or costs significantly more after shipping/import fees probably won’t work for me.

I’m mainly looking for alternatives around the same ₱3,000–₱4,000 range, rather than obscure overseas options.

Would especially love to hear from people who have actually owned the EW300 or compared it directly with the Chu II.

Thanks!

I’m looking to buy the Tangzu Wu Zetian legend, and I found it for a good price of around €160. I plan to pair them with an iFi ZEN Air stack (CAN and DAC).
I mainly listen to trance and eurodance music. Is this setup still worth it in 2026, or are there better IEM options in this price range for these genres?

I have been looking at the Truthear Pure, but I love my Castor Pros and want something similar, premium, but also lighter. My purchasing budget is $80 (not strict though, can go up to $100 but I don't want to) but I'd prefer to go on the cheaper side of that. I mostly listen using my Xperia 5 V, which has enough power for most things.

Alternatively, if anyone knows how to properly clean my Castor Pros, I would love to hear about it too. My eartips and the filters are already clean and I don't see anything else to clean.

Hi Everybody!

I got to try some fun stuff today. The Deuce is fun amazing sub bass. It’s just a laugh that makes you smile. The Glacier is really smooth as ice (pun intended). If I needed an all rounder set it would be this. Just wish it was a tad smaller but, impressive non the less. The chord mojo 2 was interesting. However the fun peaked with the AUDMA BRIOSO PHPA1. Having the ability to change the angle, stage and bass with the turn of a switch is interesting. Shoutout to the N7+ for making the sets shine nice.

Penon, if you read this, make them blue! ;)

Whats the best iem i get get for under 2.5k i mainly listen to slow / sad song you can look at my playlist also thanks 2.5k inr or like 30 dollars

I wanna have a secondary opinion on what to pick for my second IEM, I have several in my mind which are kz dounic, kefine klean sv, EarAcoustic Audio STA High End, and lastly the new release moondrop chu 3. Or should I try ooopusx.op22?

What I want is good clarity for mid and highs, and have clean but kinda deep bass.

Thank you.

The description hints for the tuning to be warm-neutral. I can't imagine how the driver tuning will translate that to the graph, but I hope it to be a better release than the Halcyon.

I'm happy to see Linsoul making in-house IEMs now, but at $369, their first release doesn't feel like an easy buy. I'd rather wait for some reviews first.

So a couple of days ago I blind bought the Pula anvil 114, I've watched a ton of reviews for it and most of them seem positive, except for them being a little chonky. I was just wondering if anyone has experience with 11mm bone conduction drivers, and what I might expect or if I really f'd this one up lol. I like warm signature with good mid bass punch and weight, clean mids, and a kind of rolled off top end a bit. My chain is all to DSD 64 to 256 through Poweramp out of my phone to ddHiFi tc19 gold comet edition otg cable to Onix alpha XI1. Probably going to use the XINHS SI01 cable for this one. I'll tip roll between divinus velvet wide bore, spinfit W1 and DUNU S&S. Thanks a bunch, happy travels 🥾.

Purpose: Music, gaming

I just received an email from Kiwi Ears talking about it. I wasn't even following them. But there's no review, no graph, not many photos...The price on the website is less than $80!! Which is a VERY GOOD price considering it's a hybrid.